20 Best Cb Watt Meter (2022 Updated)

Astatic has been in this business for decades. There are other brands but if you want to buy once and be done with it then go with these people. There’s nothing special about this SWR meter but if you do your own CB work Astatic is who you go to.

I was big into CB 30 years ago and just recently dug my radios out of the closet to a road trip that I take about once a year. I bought the cheapest SWR meter I could find and ended up throwing it in the trash.

The controls were super cheap and the meter was terribly erratic. I went back to Astatic, the same company I relied on 30 years ago, and found their reliability and build quality had not changed a bit.

If your a serious HAM operator then you will want something else but if you need an SWR meter for occasional use when setting up a CB then go with a reputable brand and be done with it. I’m reasonably sure the Astatic SWR meter that I bought in the 80’s and used for 10 years would still be working today if I hadn’t lost it.

I used the MFJ-259 to set up and tune my HF antennas and test a Diamond x50 2m antenna. I could not have done it without a analyzer. Any one of the 259s will do the job. I see 259 selling for the same price as the b and c models.

They have different features. For example the -259 (not b or c) does not display X (reactance), for setting the length of a wire or element for best SWR it doesn’t matter. But it is handy for building traps or tuning matching element.

Also these units do not display a graph or allow you to download data to a computer. Also the -259 and -259b require 8 or 10 AA batteries. The C has the best bat access and longer bat life. They are good solid units and take a beating in the field.

Just read the manual on how NOT to nlow the input diodes.

I’ve known the name Astatic for decades. Basically in good Cb microphones, that is why I chose to purchase this meter from this brand. Unfortunately, sometimes electronics falter. I simply returned this one bcuz the SWR side of the two functions did not work, the wattage did however.

But it is a highly recommended meter.

Nice analog SWR meter, I cheked it againist my built in SWR on my base unit which is very acurate, it comes in at 98+%. The unit is very well built in a soild case seems bullet proof.

Seems like a nice enough meter …Just be ware it comes with no accessories . You will need a jumper cable of RG-58U or RG-8U cable to use it .

Seems to be working just fine. Got two more CB radios to check. Awesome.

Used it to set-up a new CB radio installation in my Jeep Wrangler. Construction is good quality and a good overall value for the price. I already have a coax jumper so it was nice that the SWR-2T was available with the coax jumper or a bit less money plus free shipping.

Works well, no real way of knowing accuracy of the meter but I was able to tune the SWR of the Firestik Firefly FL3-B antenna for a reasonable value, all channels < 2. not great but that is not the meter's fault.

Jeep Wrangler with a fiberglass hard top and spare tire mount violate all the principles of mounting your antenna in the center of a good ground plane.

Every CB owner should have one. Easy to understand directions. Super easy to use. No guessing if your signal is optimum. Super valve for the money. Very pleased with purchase. Should have bought one many years ago.

Would recommend it.

The shipping, ordering, packaging, jumper coax, and everything else was great! But the meter itself is junk. I could never get a consistent reading. It was always 2. 5 or 1. There was no in between. Its good to keep in a vehicle as a quick check.

But for fine tuning, its absolutely worthless.

I was a bit apprehensive about the quality and abilities of such a relatively cheap device. However after using it extensively in the short time (2-3 weeks) I have had it, the unit works flawlessly and seems to be very accurate in it’s readings.

The build quality is also better than I expected and is quite sturdy and durable. I found that the ability to flip the display upside down is very useful when taking measurements in awkward situations.

The only downside that I have found so far is that it is very easy to switch the unit on while moving it or packing it away. That being said, it’s not a big deal as there is a time out timer which can be set from the menu so the unit will switch itself off after a short time of no activity.

As for long term reliability, well it gets lots of use so time alone will tell. Very pleased so far.

I am writing this review at firmware version 4. 5 where I discovered a major fault with SWR calculations. I have reported it to the seller and the Surecom factory so the problem may be rectified in future versions.

Still I wouldn’t buy another unless the listing specifically states the fix. Let’s assume the meter measures accurately the forward and reflected power. The correct calculation for SWR is: gamma = sqrt(reflected_watts / forward_watts); swr = (1+gamma)/(1-gamma); However, this meter seems to calculate gamma without using the square root: gamma = reflected_watts / forward_watts; This is incorrect and significantly wrong.

In my case an absolutely terrible antenna that should have displayed SWR 2. 85 showed 1. 6 instead which can be considered acceptable. So, if you decide to buy one make sure the listing shows a photo of firmware greater than 4.

5. Take the froward and reflect power from the photo and do the math yourself. If your SWR result matches the photo the problem has been fixed.

Unit works correctly ONLY when transceiver is within an almost exact distance from the counter (usually within a foot or too and set to LOW). If moving away from unit, (even when unit is set to allow High wattage readings), this counter displays different frequencies or none at all from across my 10-foot room.

Either I have a poorly designed model or a manufacturer’s bad “run” of production. -= ChazTech =-.

I read bad reviews of this meter, but, I bought it anyway, since it was only $14 / free shipping. I am glad I did, as I received one of the good ones. The switches and meter work exactly as they are supposed to.

I compared the ASTATIC PDC1’s SWR meter / watt meter with the SWR meter / watt meter on my MFJ-949E SWR Meter / Tuner / Watt Meter / Dummy Load. The 27 MHz SWR readings on both meters were nearly identical.

The 27 MHz wattage reading on both meters are nearly identical up to 10 watts. When more than 10 watts is put in to the ASTATIC PDC1 meter, it reads more wattage than the MFJ-949E SWR meter. 15 watts on the MFJ-949E SWR meter reads as 20 watts on the ASTATIC PDC1 meter.

20 watts on the MFJ-949E SWR meter reads as 30 watts on the ASTATIC PDC1 meter. 30 watts on the MFJ-949E SWR meter reads as 40 watts on the ASTATIC PDC1 meter. This error does not bother me too much, as the ASTATIC PDC1 meter is accurate with 10 watts or less input.

From 10-50 watts it’s still a satisfactory reference. The ASTATIC PDC1 meter is not a PEP / peak reading watt meter, but, it does display some degree of average power / modulation. It displays enough ‘swing’ to allow the use to know whether they have ‘forward swing’ or ‘backwards swing’ in the AM mode.

I would not pay more than twenty dollars for this meter, but, if you can pick one up for twenty dollars or less, I would consider it a decent deal. Do not forget to pick up a jumper cable that goes between the meter and the radio, as this meter does not come with a jumper cable.

I have been out of CB for over 30yrs, decided to pull my vintage equipment out of mothballs & bought this little cheap meter to help me set up my antennas properly. Figured its from Astatic, they used to offer quality.

Like most of the stuff made today, this is cheap and not accurate. Why in world would you want a SWR meter that is not accurate. This thing had me chasing SWR ghosts until it finally crapped out after only a half dozen uses.

No I do not recommend!.

As far as I know, this particular meter is pretty accurate as have no professional SWR meter to check it against. After having to add an couple of braided ground straps from car trunk lid to body, I was getting solid readings on this ASTATIC meter.

After trimming the SS CB antenna, how does 1. 1. 1 sound on this meter. Does it make that much difference if I had a $150. 00 SWR meter, for my purpose? I receive and transmit 3-5 miles on a good climatic day with fairly flat terrain, at 4w power.

So, this SWR meter, really did tune my antenna. NICE!.

I use my Stryker SR-955HPC as A base with a powered Desk Mic and it has proved to be one of the best 10 Meter, 11 Meter & 12 Meter AM,SSB,FM Radios I have owned in years. (I have a Yaesu FTDX10 but that’s a different kind of Radio, so unfair to compare the FTDX10 as is more advanced and is different market.

) The Stryker on the East Coast in 10Meter FM mode can use Repeaters on 29. 600 with a PL Tone. I set FM to 50 Watt output. On Am the 955 does really good as mine is putting out a respectable 75 Watts.

On SSB I can talk all over the USA and out of the country as well. My SSB is putting out the Same 75 Watts. At these Wattages the Cooling system & Final output area stay in a very safe operating range.

I have all the Major Test Equipment and the service manual for the SR-955HPC as well. I tuned it Clean and gave it 10 watts over Factory Recommendations. I wanted it to Stay clean and the results have been excellent.

Make sure you have a Good Antenna and Coax (LMR400) if it’s a Base Station. In a Mobil use (RG-400), at the very least RG-8x, As this is very important to your ability to be Heard & Receive. Your Power supply with the 955 should be a “Regulated 13.

8 volts with at least 15 Amp or more & You will want to replace the stock power wire as its to thin and the fuse will get really hot. I recommend a 12GA. zip wire and replace the fuse with a blade type with 12 GA.

wire to. Soldering all connections. This will keep the Voltage from dropping when you transmit and stabilize your 955’s transmit power. I know that there is radio mods out there that turn up the transmit that push this Radio to 95 to 120 Watts but the cooling system is not sufficient to support this and heat problems will occur and the radio wont last long at all.

all in all a great Radio. 73’s.

10 Meter Radios are not designed to communicate with CB Radios. Unlike a CB Radio, you need to have a license to operate a 10 Meter Radio. The reason for this is because the 10 Meter Radios are allowed to have more wattage/power output than CB Radios.

According to FCC regulations, CB radios are allowed a max output of 4 watts. Since the 10 Meter Band is intended for long range communication, more wattage is needed. The potentially very high power output (radio energy) of 10 Meter Radios can actually damage soft tissue and organs (similar to a microwave) so proper use is important! The FCC wants to make sure that 10 Meter Radio operators understand the importance of operating the equipment properly and following the rules.

Another important aspect of operating a 10 Meter Radio is that they don’t want disruption of other important communications. With their high power output, 10 Meter Radios can overpower CB transmissions and other important local communications.

The 10 Meter Band consists of frequencies stretching from 28. 000 to 29. 700 MHz. This means that you can still use a standard CB antenna- just be sure to get an antenna that has a power rating that will handle the power output of your 10 meter radio.

Out of the box, you will not get Channel 19 with a 10 Meter Radio. CB Radios operate on the 11 Meter Band around 27 MHz with 40 channels. Unlike the 10 Meter Band, access to these frequencies are unrestricted by the FCC, hence the name “Citizen’s Band”.

Just keep in mind that, even for CB Radios, the FCC requires users to follow certain codes of conduct and equipment restrictions. Many of them have a band selector knob. Band C is CB. There is a 40 channel bank per band.

If you want a High Powered CB radio and only care to operate using the AM Mode, then after a modification is done, this Stykers gets the job done in style! Just do not operate on licensed amateur radio frequencies! 28Mhz and above! Or below 24.

990Mhz and no one will usually search you out! So fn tired of Hams feeling they have to warn you about these rules. We are all adults and most know what the rules are. Stryker Tranceivers are outstanding quality and one of the better brands on the market these days.

Get on the air and have fun cause thats what its all about! If later you think you’d like to get your Amateur license, your already ahead having a proper radio. There are other units made by Stryker that have sideband but that is another option that you may get into but as you learn what ya want just know they are available.

I got this used and it seems to be 20% low of every utility on the amps and watts. Then at a certain low and high it registers 35% low of the manufacture’s specifications. The voltage drop test is probably the best thing you could do with it.

On this dud the voltage drop test is also strange because I have new extension cords and the voltage seems accurate but unbelievable high drop in voltage. I learned about the 3% maximum drop rule to save your electric tools at voltage calculator.

net. Then the Home Depot 50 feet extension cord at 14 gauge is claiming 15 amps but only if you magically have the full 125 volts in which the higher volts the more efficient. And then on top off that the 15 amp chainsaw can actually take more than 15 amps if you cut too much too fast as with any electric utility.

So I ended up buying the 12 gauge wire which should be well below the 3% voltage drop rule but for some reason it registered well below what the voltage drop calculator. net is estimating. So I couldn’t really tell if I could have kept the chainsaw at 14.

5 amps by maintaining a high speed and not force it to work too hard OR where the exact amount of applied pressure will cause the full 15 amps and without going over 15 amps with heavier gauge cord.

I bought a P4400 in 2011. It showed which household items were power vampires, some using as much power off as on. I could switch them off with power strips or unplug them when not needed. By measuring the power consumption of internet-related equipment, I could estimate how much time a given UPS could give me in the event of a power failure.

I kept a spreadsheet of wattage of various items under different conditions, to help future troubleshooting. When my internet speeds slowed down, the P4400 showed me the culprit. The power consumption of the $4 power supply of my VOIP telephone adapter was abnormally high.

For the refrigerator, I measured KWH per day for a summer kitchen temperature and for a winter kitchen temperature. After that, the P4400 could show me if the refrigerator was still operating as efficiently, or maybe I needed to check for dust or ice.

If a refrigerator wasnt cooling, the P4400 was a quick way to see if the compressor was drawing current. Last year, I bought a smart charger for car batteries. It had no ammeter. Clipping in a multimeter would have risked a short, a disconnection, or damage to the meter.

I plugged the charger into my P4400, and with the multimeter, I determined how many watts the charger needed for each amp out. Then I didnt need the multimeter. By showing me input wattage, KWH, and time, the P4400 let me know output amps, amp hours, and charging time.

The other day, my P4400 was in the engine compartment of a truck as I charged the battery. In case of an unexpected shower, the hood was up only three inches. In a sudden, heavy shower, enough drops blew through the crack to wet the P4400.

It still gave credible wattage readings, but not KWH or amps. I bought another one immediately. The P4400 has proved its value. Update: Last year I bought an electric chainsaw. I finally got around to using the P4400 to see if the manufacturer’s horsepower claims are true.

Apparently so. It also showed me how much voltage I was losing by using 150 feet of extension cords. The flashing display of the P4400 warned me that the current could damage it if I ran the saw more than a few seconds.

The manufacture recommends 14 gauge cord or larger. My cords aren’t marked. To test, I used an electric skillet. Unlike the saw, it’s a resistive load, and it doesn’t draw enough current to endanger the meter.

First I plugged the P4400 into an outlet and plugged the skillet into the P4400. I noted the voltage drop when I turned it on. Then I plugged an extension cord into the outlet and plugged the P4400 and skillet into the cord.

I noted the voltage drop and the amps. I subtracted the voltage drop at the outlet from the voltage drop at the end of the cord to determine how many volts I was losing in the cord. Dividing that by the amps gave me ohms.

In the cord, current runs through the hot and the neutral in series, so the path is twice the length of the cord. To get ohms per foot, I divided the ohms by twice the cord length. Knowing ohms per foot, I could look up the gauge online.

My cords are 16 gauge. I can probably get 2. 5 horsepower with them. I might get 2. 75 horsepower if I upgraded to 14 gauge cords. I’m satisfied with 16 gauge.

I picked this up to check on my power strips and make sure I’m not overloading anything. It’s a fantastic way to check how much power your devices are using and could definitely be helpful for slimming down your electric bill (if you’ve got the know-how).

It’s much lighter weight than I ever expected, though that doesn’t really matter for a device like this. In any case, great product (and at a great price), would recommend.

Works as described. Might be a little forgiving on wattage but its all relative anyways. My Bird meters read exactly 1 watt less than this one so im not complaining. Only complaint is the meter display was pushed into the case when I got it out of the box.

No biggie. Just removed the case screws and popped it back in. Did not effect the function of the unit. Reads PEP 5, 50, 250, 1kw watt ranges. SWR works well too. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone working with radios.

It’s worth the price for what you’re getting. Plus, I just farted and it stinks.

This is a great meter for measuring SWR and wattage up to 1,00 Watts. Optionally you can light up the meter with 12V. I was able to set my SWR and adjust my wattage and see exactly what I was putting out.

Seems to be great for a PEP and SWR meter.

The SWR meter performs very well . It is accurate and easy to use. The dial is large enough to see without struggling . An it is a great tool. It has all the needed features to tune the CB radio .

Overall the meter is a good value and with decent construction build. however it arrived totally out of calibration. The forward and reflected power were significantly off target on all settings. No instructions are given in the directions how to calibrate it.

I found a video online which showed how easy it was to adjust the internal trimpots but without a power standard it still is uncertain. If it came properly calibrated I would give it 5 stars.

Love MFJ. Beautiful Cross hair combo meter. The design is awesome. Metal cabinet for great protection. Has added light illumination if you want it. I give it a 5+ Rating in every aspect. I trust MFJ and you can also.

They go out of their way to assist you in everyway. Thank You Dale H. KY4DCH.

The meter looks great! it doesn’t work so good though. I have SWR’s on my antenna that are 1:1 tor 1:2 to 1. On this meter, I get 2. 1:1 or higher. The power side does show the correct or close to it power, but again, the SWR side is completely out to lunch.

I am very disappointed. Again, not with the Ham Shop, they are great, the manufacture MFJ.

This SWR/Wattmeter is a necessity for checking and adjusting antennas. Very simple to use and does exactly what it’s supposed to. I highly recommend this item. feels very solid and well built.

The meter worked accept the swr function did not work properly. Had to return it.

I got this meter for 1.25 meter band and it is very inaccurate for power an swr, on that band. The other two bands seem to be ok. Very over priced for what you get.

Bought for my 2950CD radio and TS350 amp. Seems to be close when running SSB. on AM it comes in about 3 1/2w when it’s actually 2w or so. also came in high with amp on at 110-120w do when it’s really about 80w or so.

I have another MFJ and AM reads high on that as well. I got I mainly for the SWR feature and that matches my other meters just fine 1. 2-1 on channel 1 and 1-1 on 40. Backlight appears to be incandescent and lights mainly bottom half.

Good overall.

Looks good. Works well. Excellent value for money. Easy to install and operate.MFJ-822

This thing is fantastic. It has what looks like an incandescent bulb for the back light which is fine. It really easy to read. The housing is awesome, feels like a quality meter. It comes with a DC power cord for the back light.

There is no switch for the light. I really like it, wish there was some way to mount it but I think double sided tape will do the trick.

Item is well made, has sufficient weight to handle coax without scurrying across desk top. Meter lighting nice and bright. Accuracy better than several meters currently in use. Great product for the price.

Having to calibrate for SWR measurement is easy, but if you want even easier measurements use a cross needle meter. Cost VS ease of use was a consideration. I chose the lower cost meter and I am very satisfied with that decision.

Would not hesitate to recommend.

This measuring instrument is good quality and accurate measurement values and can handle transport to various measurements of VHF antennas on boats and its facilities. Regards Douglas Bartel

This is an excellent MFJ product. I do, however, feel the Instructions lack in one area: They don’t explain enough about how to set the SWR control. Other than that, excellent!

No frills SWR meter with ball-park wattage meter. Comes with jumper, unlike others for the same price. This is a $20 meter and can’t be expected to stand on par with more expensive units, however- in this price range the product does do exactly what it says it does.

Due to the “low cost” jumper included, I would not leave this unit “in-line” after checking swr. Remove unit or buy a more heavy duty jumper for permanent placement. This is a quality introductory swr meter to get any novice cb’er up and running until something nicer can be afforded.

Gets the job done inexpensively. Nice little meter. I just use it for monitoring swr with 150 watts into it seems to be holding up just fine. I’m not concerned in seeing power output although did try briefly and it did peg the needle as I expected it to.

With all the wind and ice I get here in Upper Michigan I watch swr all the time. Can’t go wrong for 20 bucks!.

Product is a well known design. It is an excellent low cost entry level device that provides reasonable SWR and power information at HF frequencies.

I bought this to keep an eye on my SWR / reflected power while using an amplifier. The first one was showing virtually no reflected power unless connected to an antenna with an SWR of 3. 0 or higher at the test frequency.

Forward power also seemed to be reading 10%-20% low into a dummy load when transmitting on AM, FM or RTTY regardless of the transmitter or band. After discussing it with DX Engineering they provided return information in an email, and turned it around in 1 day after receiving the return.

The replacement arrived yesterday afternoon and after some quick testing appears to be working. I need to run it through further testing and compare it to what I get from my Rig Expert antenna analyzer which has served me very well over the years.

It is also very odd that the only way to turn off the meter light is to unplug it at the back. I wouldn’t buy a meter from Daiwa again.

Great product at a good price. My station operates exclusively on HF, running close to 1K. Since all my antennas are home brew, I wanted a meter that I could watch both the power level and VSWR at the same time.

I wanted to find a means of detecting any change in the antenna during a transmission. Dual meters was an option, but for my purposes it seemed intuitively most logical to have a cross needle meter that would provide both reports at a single glance, and the CN 501H does just that.

The three power levels permit me to adjust the power level on my transceiver to obtain a fine reading, and then bump it up when I’m running power. The meter is lit via 12 V rear socket, plug included, that allowed me to connect that to my transceiver so that it was only lit when the transceiver was in service.

Aesthetically it has a clean look and quietly complements my Yaesu without looking like a sideshow of its own. I am please with and would highly recommend this unit to any interested Ham.

It is a great meter, easy to use, accurate and even the smaller meter on this one is easy for my old eyes to read, ok sounds good so far what is the “But” about. Well it seems there is an undocumented problem that I and a number of friends have come across, the meter just stops working every once in a while, it will show no output or SWR deflection on the meter even though I’m in a QSO SO I know I have power out.

No amount of button pushing will get the meter to start working again. Well there seems to be an undocumented reset feature, so don’t throw it away, if you have been using the meter without the power for the light connected, connected to your supply to turn the light on and voila everything starts work8ng again.

You can go ahead and disconnect the power and everything stays working until the next time.

Am using this to gather wattage info for all lights, electronics in outlets, appliances etc to make a decision on a back up generator. For most things this gives you the wattage and I like the KWH option so I can see what something may use over 24hrs or a week or such to get average wattage it may consume.

Only items I have seen I cannot get wattage so far are for an electric dryer and the heat system due to higher wattage they put out. Will get this thru some other means. The only stop gap I have seen is this unit can only go up to 1850 watts otherwise it may kill it.

Would be really cool also if they could do an upgrade that would give you what the highest wattage recorded was over a period of time when using the KWH feature so you might be aware of what somethings or an outlets peak wattage could hit.

ie: under KWH toggle to number of hours measured, total KWH, and add a toggle to show highest wattage seen during that time was.

This thing starts out as some gee-whiz, inexpensive toy that you purchase on a whim when you geek-out at HFT. After using it for fun, more useful applications present themselves. At some point you will find yourself telling others about how this product helped you and how it can be useful to them too.

Knowing how much energy your appliances actually use is extremely valuable information that can prevent overloading circuits, fires, wasting electricity, burning up your generator etc. This meter can also help to troubleshoot problems with your electrical system or with appliances themselves.

It will also show how honest or dishonest manufacturers are about the power consumption of their products. This is a tool that has proven more useful than I ever imagined it would be.

Used it once so far to set up my vintage Uniden PC66XL with a Wilson 1000 antenna. Worked as designed, with easy to decipher instructions. Would recommend as a good starter unit.

CB radios are making a come back. This is a very good and Inexpensive way to calibrate your antenna for maximum performance. Getting ready for strange days to come. Old school remedies are going to be needed in the future.

Better to be prepared.

Simple and easy to use. Pretty solid little meter. Got my SWR down to 1.1 on 1 and 40.

Having difficulty seeing Cross-Needle SWR meters and the little SWR scale on my Icom 7300, this MFJ digital meter does all I hoped, and more. With both HF/6M and 220/432 inputs, it covers all my transmitting needs.

Visibility is outstanding, and though it can’t track SSB voice peaks, all my operating has been non-voice for years. Last but not least, most often I operate FT8 away from the radio using VNC, and an old wireless baby monitor lets me keep an eye on SWR and power levels with the MFJ Digital SWR/Power meter.

DX Engineering is my vendor of choice, and the order was promptly processed and shipped. a Winning Combination!.

This is the first SWR / Power meter I’ve purchased and I really like it. The display is large, clear and easy to read. I have this wired to the same power supply as my IC 7300. The SWR is very close to the readings I get with the antenna analyzer and it is nice to see the SWR while using the radio.

I’ve been using it about a month without any problems. -Bill.

Thanks to DX Engineering for excellent esponse I received he meter one day earlier than planned. I was a little hesitant about ordering it but having now used it foe a week I am thoroughly impressed.

At last I have a meter I can actually read, the response is quick and accurate. Yeah, I can recomend this item.

It’s small, simple to use and does the job. If I’d spent hundreds on a transceiver I might spend a bit more on a SWR meter, but I don’t have a massive budget for ham gear, so this was an ideal purchase for my budget 2m/70cm mobile rig.

Product works fine for my requirements on UHF frequency test purposes. I give it 5 stars. Would recommend it, very pleased.

Good quality old style swr meter for VHF and UHF, does its job well no need to spend loads of money if you just want to tune an antenna or test swr and power output.